NA worried about admin inertia, growth quality

Update:
November, 03/2017 - 09:00

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National Assembly deputies raised a host of concerns on Thursday, including the failure to nip wrongful appointments in the bud, the quality of growth and healthcare services, and relevance of training given to workers.— VNA/VNS Photo Phương Hoa

HÀ NỘI — National Assembly deputies raised a host of concerns on Thursday, including the failure to nip wrongful appointments in the bud, the quality of growth and healthcare services, and relevance of training given to workers.

The concerns were mentioned on the last day of the parliament’s latest five and a half day session that reviewed socio-economic development this year and provided feedback on goals set for next year.

The lawmakers highlighted a casual observance of rules and regulations and a more-talk-than-action exercise of the State’s management responsibilities at all levels in several areas – staffing, finance, land use management, mining and so on.

Deputy Ngô Trung Thành from the Central Highlands province of Đắk Lắk said the inertia was “the enemy of the ‘facilitating government,” citing seven cases of wrongful appointment that should have been legally resolved right at the agencies where it happened, instead of “waiting for directions from the Prime Minister and various higher authorities.”

Leaders and heads of agencies should show more self-accountability, Thành said.

Scores of NA deputies also spoke about healthcare checks. While they acknowledged the health sector’s efforts in recent times, they called for prompt action on potential healthcare fund deficits and better delivery of services.

Nguyễn Lân Hiếu, a deputy from the southern province of An Giang, said the process of check-ups and dispensing drugs for health insurance cardholders must be reviewed in order to avoid wasteful use of an already constrained healthcare fund.

Phạm Tất Thắng, a deputy from the southern province of Vĩnh Long, said the Government should pay more attention to workforce quality even though the two human resources development targets for this year have been achieved.

According to the Government’s report, unemployment in urban areas has been brought down to below 4 per cent, and more than 60 per cent of the workforce have received vocational training.

However, deputies noted that more than half of the unemployed segment are between 15 and 24 years old, with a third having higher than college level qualifications. This was worrying, they said.

Thắng also said that the economy was still relying on and moving in the direction of manufacturing and employing untrained and unskilled workers.

Furthermore, the quality and relevance of training provided was questioned, with deputies pointing out the training failed to meet actual market demand, in many cases.

He noted that the World Economic Forum (WEF) has ranked Việt Nam 55th among 137 economies in its 2017-18 global competitiveness report and that the World Bank has elevated the country 15 positions for ease of doing business. These are a “positive note of change in the country’s development,” he said.

Dũng said the agriculture sector grew by 2.78 per cent in the first nine months, while the industry-construction and service sectors posted even more impressive growth of 7.17 and 7.25 per cent, respectively.

“These growth figures surpass those of last year and display a healthy upswing across all sectors,” Dũng said, adding that this year has been the first time the mining sector’s growth had overcome negative figure.

The Deputy PM also agreed with many concerns expressed by deputies about long-standing issues facing the economy including low application of technology in production, meagre growth of supporting industries, slow restructuring, and “low quality” of economic growth.

He said that in the coming months, the Government would work harder on restructuring in tandem with selecting appropriate growth models for each sector.

Laws regulating business environment, agriculture renovation and building of new rural areas will also be improved, he said.

The Deputy PM also answered questions on natural disaster prevention and response, including concerns expressed about limited forecasting capacity, “serious violations of the Forest Law,” and sustainable development in the Mekong Delta.

In closing the discussion on economy and budget, NA Deputy Chairman Phùng Quốc Hiển said the parliament appreciated the Government’s efforts to achieve tasks and goals set by the NA in the face of daunting challenges.

With continued commitment and diligence, the Government can keep the country’s development on track for even better achievements next year, he said. — VNS